Essay on The Tragedy of Steroids

The definition of steroids is, "man-made derivatives of testosterone, the male hormone. They synthesize protein and help promote muscle growth" (Iole 1). Types of steroids include anabolic and growth hormones. The definition of an anabolic steroid is, "Any drug or harmful substance, chemically and pharmacologically related to testosterone (other than estrogen, progestins, and corticostoroids) that promotes muscle growth, any drug or hormonal substance that stimulates the endogenous production of steroids in the human body which acts in the same manner" (Collins 1). Types of anabolic steroids include oral and intramuscular injection. Steroids taken orally have a half-life of several hours, while injected steroids have a half-life of several days (Collins 1). Steroids taken orally usually come on the form of a pill. It takes these water-soluble pills three to four weeks to clear the body. The oil-based injections take six to eight months to leave the body (Cochran 2). After steroids are taken, the steroid molecule bonds to cell receptor sites. Now the steroid molecule can increase protein synthesis, increase nitrogen retention, make metabolic changes, and increase size and strength of skeletal muscle cells. These all lead to bigger and stronger muscles (Collins 1). Some names of popular steroids include Nelvar, Deca-Durabolin, Anavar, Winstrol, Stanozolol, Dianabol, and Anadrol-50 (Nuwer 17).

What is the first thing that comes to mind when steroids are discussed? Is it positive? Negative? What comes to mind for me is the vision of an extremely large man with bulging muscles like we see in bodybuilding competitions. These types of images are becoming extremely commonplace in society today, and also increasingly disturbing considering just a few short years ago the ‘bodybuilder’s body’ was just a niche in the sports world. But what drove this movement? There is no way to possibly limit this phenomenon into one single cause, but rather I can hazard a guess as to what I believe may be at the root of this ideal change. America, since the time it was founded, has grown increasingly confident in itself. This mindset has

Testosterone is a hormone in both men and women, but in greater extent in the men, testosterone is a chemical compound (C19H28O2) and is responsible for the characteristic of men such as, sexual characteristics/sexual organs, deepening of the voice, and facial and body hair. (Neil Schlager, Jayne Weisblatt, and David E. Newton 2006) Testosterone/Steroids has bodybuilding and masculinizing effect as well as treating a variety of medical conditions, like asthma, the steroid is used in a puffer, they can be used for anabolic or androgenic purposes and made for synthetic purposes making them illegal. (BROWER, K. J. 2001) Many athletes will use these to gain an advantage on competitors, with lean muscle and higher endurance, with many uses, there

The correct term for the steroids being used is anabolic androgenic steroids. Anabolic describes its effect of increasing muscle mass. Androgenic describes its effect on the development of male sexual characteristics. They are commonly referred to as anabolic steroids, “juice,” “‘roids,” or simply steroids. Despite all the negative accusations of using anabolic steroids as a muscle enhancer, the fact is they do work. They increase strength and muscle mass, improve fast twitch muscles, and ultimately allow an athlete to transcend physical limitations and reach a higher level of performance. Texas pitcher Kenny Rodgers said:

           Today in the United States, millions and millions of kids, teens, and adults watch and play in the sport of baseball. It is probably the number one sport looked upon and what is happening to it is a bit discouraging. Players have started “cheating” by using steroids to help them play stronger and better. They are in league where you have to be the best at what you do to play, and if your using drugs to cheat your way in, then it ruins the ethics of the game of baseball.

Steroids (anabolic) are a drug that was discovered and made by medical scientists in the last 1930’s to help with medical problems. The drug was made to help with many medical problems such as testosterone, growth, sexual functioning, and other medical problems such as helping people with HIV to help grow musical. It also helps with many other diseases. Like any other drug on the market people learn that the drug can be used for many other ways. Steroids can enhance athlete’s performance as well as bodybuilders and is used in almost every sport out there. The use of steroids has become a widespread problem. Steroid use has caused many help problems with the misuse of the drug and has caused the drug to be illegal for people to use them in

Just take the shot! It will help you this season; you will be able to do things that you never would have thought possible. Will taking steroids really help your performance as a professional athlete? Many professional athletes find that this is the best way to enhance their athletic abilities but it only promotes physical damage in the long run. If the use of steroids isn't stopped by professional leagues it just shows that they don't care about their athletes and will continue to watch many of them drop like flies from physical damage caused by steroids. The use of anabolic steroids on professional levels should be banned, and any athlete that chooses to use them should be suspended from their

Abstract:  With the increase of competition has also come the need to become bigger and stronger than the opponent.  The use of steroids among athletes has caused the focus of the game to change.  No longer does an athlete want to win by doing their best, but they want to become bigger and have an advantage over the opponent.  Ultimately, all athletes feel that they need to use performance-enhancing drugs to compete at the same level. Despite all of the warnings and information on performance-enhancing drugs, athletes continue to use them and overlook the potential health risks associated with steroids.

Throughout the history of athletics, humans have pursued new and innovative ways to construct better, faster, stronger athletes. Steroid use is one of the most popular choices among these athletes. Steroids, first created in the 1930s, are synthetic hormones that produce specific physiological effects on one's body (Center for Substance Abuse Research). Although the German scientists who discovered steroids did not intend its use for body building or creating better athletes, steroid use has developed into a controversial subject concerning the health of users and other moral issues. Overall, the use of steroids in athletics is physically and morally wrong because it essentially promotes the deterioration of the health of athletes and

“…medical researchers believe that between 1 and 3 million youths and adults have taken anabolic steroids in one form or another specifically to enhance their looks or athletic performances,” stated Nuwer (Nuwer, 61). As astounding as these figures are, the number of performance drug users is steadily increasing. With this progressively increasing numbers, it is projected that millions more will use steroids in the immediate future (Newer, 61). Athletes have always sought an advantage in competition even if ignoring the law and their health if necessary. Using drugs of any sort to facilitate an athlete’s athletic ability should be illegal. The use of performance enhancing drugs is not only detrimental to the user but it also creates an

So what exactly are steroids? Steroids are a synthetic substance closely related to the male sex hormone, testosterone. They are legally prescribed for some medical conditions such as AIDS, some cancers, and anemia. This is a vital medication for people with these sicknesses that make the body weaker. (Adams)A very common misconception is that steroids give you muscle. They do not. It builds protein faster then normal which allows people to work out more often. Scientifically, the human body has millions of cell receptors that accept the drug an in turn tell the body what action to perform. In particular, when

In male patients, testosterone also helps the male reproductive organs. Mistaken as only a male hormone, testosterone is also found in females. Although for females it is in lower dosages or smaller amounts. The average adult male in one day can produce a total amount anywhere from 2.5-11 milligrams of testosterone. An average steroids abuser injects themselves with 100 or more milligrams of testosterone a day (Anabolic Steroids). Originally, steroids were developed to increase strength of German soldiers in the 1930’s during World War II (Anabolic Steroids). Modern medicine restricts the use of anabolic steroids with only a couple exceptions such as bone marrow stimulations, growth stimulations, stimulations of appetite, and perseveration of muscle mass. Anabolic steroids also are used to help treat breast cancer and angioedema which side effects can result in swelling of the face, arms, legs, throat, windpipe, bowels, or sexual organs(Anabolic Steroids). There are many different types of steroids some of the most common legal types in the United States including boldenone (Equipoise), ehtlestrenol (Maxibolin), fluoxymesterone (Halotestin), methandriol, methandrostenolone (Diannabol), methyltestosterone, nandrolone, (Dyrabolin DecaDurabolin), oxandrolone (Anavar), oxymetholone (Anadrol), stanozolol (Winstrol), testosterone including sustanon, and trenbolone (Finajet). This is not including the many illegal imitation anabolic

In the past three decades, steroids has been becoming a serious problem more than ever in the athletic field. Steroids are anabolic drug "to build" growth hormones that include the androgens (male sex hormones) principally testosterone and estrogen and progestogens (female sex hormones). Steroids were first developed for medical purposes. They're used in controlling inflammation, strengthening weakened hearts, preventing conception, and alleviating symptoms of arthritis and asthma. Unfortunately research has shown that steroids have been abused in almost every kind of sport. Although steroids contribute to a muscular body, usage should remain illegal because they physically deteriorate and mentally destroy the body.

Anabolic steroids are synthetic derivatives of the male hormone testosterone. Most healthy males produce 2-10 milligrams per day of testosterone. Testosterone is responsible for

In today’s society in athletics, muscle mass and strength seem more important than in years past. It is believed that many athletes use anabolic steroids to increase their muscle mass and also their strength. Anabolic steroids are a group of synthetic hormones that promote the storage of proteins and the growth of tissue, sometimes used by athletes to increase muscle size and strength. Before the mid 1970’s the use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) was used mainly by highly trained athletes especially those involved in weight training. Since then other athletes including those involved in recreational sports and non-competitive sports have started using the steroids. Steroids are also being used by many school age children